thirty-seven ★ tra la la this is fel and michael's fault
Title: the obligatory adorable fic of many more to come
Pairings/Characters: England + Australia and. George III lmfao.
Summary: Taking her anywhere is usually dreadful. Taking her to meet royalty is an honest-to-God nightmare.
Rating: G, unless you are offended by British words like "bloody". :>
Notes: lmfao this is kind of short and choppy and only the beginning of much spam to come.
This would be in roughly 1790, two years after the British began to colonise Australia; thus, Australia is still kind of reluctant to like or trust England what with the abuse of her native people, and England is still kind of "ffffff why did I take her she's so annoying". But they'd be starting to like each other. ♥ Also, she hasn't developed her own slang quite yet, she still mimics England as far as most things go.
---
"Englaaaand!"
England slaps Australia's hands away from where they're trying to uncurl the ringlets her hair has been put into, catches them and forces them back down by her sides, kneeling in front of her. "I mean it, Terra Australis. You're going somewhere important today, so no pouting, no whining, no yelling, no running around in my clothes, no running around at all, no jumping, no climbing, no fidgeting, no fussing and no," he grabs her straying hands again, "messing up your clothes, or your hair. Do you understand?"
"But I don't like dresses," she whines, stamping her foot. She pouts and looks him in the eye. "And you still haven't told me where we're going."
"Good Lord, girl, don't you understand the meaning of a surprise?" He goes to ruffle her hair, and recalls the many hours that have been put into taming it to lie flat and curl properly; instead, he stands, picks her up, tugs her collar down straight and heads for the door. "You'll see when we get there, you just have to be patient."
"I don't wanna be bloody patient, that's what you tell me when you haven't gotten me things yet."
With amazing effort, England manages not to flush with embarrassment - Australia has gotten everything he means to give her late in the past two years since her discovery - and rolls his eyes at the girl. "I mean it, young lady. You're going to have to wait." She huffs, scowls and refuses to look at him. He frowns. "And would it honestly kill you to speak like a proper lady?"
"Might do," she mutters, crossing her arms.
He raises an eyebrow at her, not sure whether he should be amused or irritated. "Well, either you speak properly or you don't speak at all."
She claps her hands over her mouth and glares at him.
He really can't help but laugh at her. "I hope you know," he chuckles, teasing, "that you look absolutely bloody ridiculous like that."
She sinks lower in his arms, curled in on herself, and refuses to move her hands from her face for the entire carriage trip, seething. Eventually, though, they pull up, and she lets her hands fall in favour of scrambling over England's lap to peer out the window, curious to see where he has taken her that is so very important to them - or just him, maybe.
England picks her up, opens the door and sets her on the ground before she has had much of a chance to gape at the impressive scenery through the window, and he quickly takes her by the hand to tug her along the cobblestone path that leads into the huge castle looming over them. Australia, too awed to pay attention to anything but her surroundings, trips and stumbles along behind him, her eyes glued to the high walls and turrets. England sighs irritably and drags her faster, tugging sharply at her arm.
"Come on, act proper now," he murmurs to her. To his relief, she straightens, hoists up her skirts and catches up with him, holding his hand tightly in hers and trying not to let herself be distracted again.
It turns out all to be in vain as soon as they enter the castle gates, and England practically has to tether Australia to his side; she's gasping and giggling and trying to pull free of his grip, to run off and look at all of the statues, the shields and weapons, the paintings, the tapestries - everything is unbelievably extravagant to her. The residents of the castle watch them pass with curious expressions, and England avoids their eyes, but he doesn't want to ruin the child's moment of fun.
"Hey, England," she whispers to him excitedly. "Did America come here too? Is that how important it is?"
To his credit, he doesn't even cringe; Australia's idolisation of America, just from what she's heard of him, is something he's becoming used to quickly. It's a little endearing, really. "Yes, he did. I brought him here shortly after we'd found him, for this."
Her hand curls around his a little tighter, and when he looks down at her, she has a strange, blank sort of frown on her face. "... For what?" she asks quietly.
He realises suddenly that his surprise is going downhill in her eyes; she's trying to join up what she has in common with the old colony of America, and the first thing she's pulling up is the presence of native people on the land. She's worried that it will mean something bad for them.
But he's determined not to ruin the surprise, so he forces himself to look away and tells her, "Something special."
She doesn't speak again, after that - not even when they reach the huge oak doors, or when the guards step forward to heave them open, but he's immensely relieved when he hears her gasp as they enter the room; it's just too exquisitely decorated for her not to be amazed, and he thinks she might finally be catching on to what the point of their trip is.
"Behave," he hisses to her, and she nods quickly. When they come to a halt, she lets go of his hand and leaves her own politely by her sides.
King George III looks down at them from upon his throne and nods. "What do you bring to me today, Lord Arthur?" He turns his gaze on the small girl, who looks absolutely shell-shocked by his booming voice, and she stares right back at him.
England drops to one knee, bowing his head respectfully. "Terra Australis, my King. The land claimed for the British penal colonisation - the land belonging to no-one." She looks to him then, shocked and hurt, but he shoots a sharp glare back at her and mouths, Bow.
She doesn't.
The King hums thoughtfully. "I see." He looks her over again, and she still seems to be in awe. "What is the matter, my child?"
"... Woo~ow," she finally says, and England almost loses his balance, sending her a frantic, scolding look - but she's still staring up at the King, eyes wide and jaw slack. "Who are you? Even England doesn't wear stuff that fancy!"
The man looks taken-aback, but he answers her, regardless. "I am King George III, child; the ruler of England."
"Like a tribe leader?" she shoots back quickly, excited, and then pauses. "But why would you be the leader of England? I don't have a leader." And ignoring the way England scowls and looks as if he's going to snap something at her, she continues, "That's disrespectful to the land!"
He's not sure where she's been learning such long words, or why he hasn't taught her politics yet, but he's suddenly regretting the combination of the two, because she's standing her and rounding on his King, and if she doesn't get thrown out soon, he decides, he's going to drag her out himself just to save himself some embarrassment.
To his shock, horror and overwhelming relief, the King laughs at her scolding. "A land must have a ruler, my child," he tells her. She frowns, confused, and England can see her mouthing to herself, It does? "And tell me, where do you come from?"
Suddenly, her expression is startled and nervous, and she looks to England for help, fidgeting and mumbling, "Er... My people... The Dreamtime, and we're not really - we don't - there's no--"
"Those we found there don't have a word for the land, my King," he interrupts, easing Australia's panic a little, "and she claims to have always been there, but the people discovered on the coast where we first landed have told us that they are from 'Eora'--"
"No!" she cuts in, turning to him, tone incredulous. "No! Not eora! We've never been to this place before!"
England is perplexed, but the King chuckles again before their argument can continue, and they both turn to him, surprised and a little embarrassed about their fighting in front of such an important figure - Australia may not know his politics, but she knows enough to recognise that the man before her is of higher status than the rest of the people here, and she's well-aware that what they just did would be considered extremely disrespectful by any leader.
"That is enough," he says to them. "I have seen the land claimed in my Kingdom's name, and it looks as if you two have a few things you would like to sort out." They both cringe, but England gets to his feet and takes Australia's hand again, tugging her down in a bow before they turn and leave; England walks as fast as he can without running, and Australia runs along behind him with her skirts gathered up in one hand.
As soon as they're outside, they pause for a moment, and she looks up at him, wide-eyed. "Cripes. We didn't get punished?"
Well, he has been a bit loopy lately, he thinks to himself, but out loud, he just ushers her along again hurriedly and mutters, "Well, that could have gone a whole lot worse."
He just hopes she never wants to meet his royalty again, because the chance that they'll all be that crazy is very slim indeed.
Notes:
- The name "Australia" wasn't coined for the country until 1810, but it was too annoying to type out every time, so it's just that nobody... calls her that.
- Random trivia! The captain of the First Fleet in 1788 was actually named Arthur Philip :'D
- George III did actually develop mental issues during his reign, especially towards the later end of his life. People were very confused by it at the time, but it was likely a blood disease.
- The word "Aboriginal" wasn't used to describe the natives until 1789.
- The Eora people were those living along the coast of Sydney, and therefore, likely would have been the tribe that the British first encountered. The word "Eora" literally means "here" or "from this place", which is how the tribe described to the British were they were from.
Pairings/Characters: England + Australia and. George III lmfao.
Summary: Taking her anywhere is usually dreadful. Taking her to meet royalty is an honest-to-God nightmare.
Rating: G, unless you are offended by British words like "bloody". :>
Notes: lmfao this is kind of short and choppy and only the beginning of much spam to come.
This would be in roughly 1790, two years after the British began to colonise Australia; thus, Australia is still kind of reluctant to like or trust England what with the abuse of her native people, and England is still kind of "ffffff why did I take her she's so annoying". But they'd be starting to like each other. ♥ Also, she hasn't developed her own slang quite yet, she still mimics England as far as most things go.
---
"Englaaaand!"
England slaps Australia's hands away from where they're trying to uncurl the ringlets her hair has been put into, catches them and forces them back down by her sides, kneeling in front of her. "I mean it, Terra Australis. You're going somewhere important today, so no pouting, no whining, no yelling, no running around in my clothes, no running around at all, no jumping, no climbing, no fidgeting, no fussing and no," he grabs her straying hands again, "messing up your clothes, or your hair. Do you understand?"
"But I don't like dresses," she whines, stamping her foot. She pouts and looks him in the eye. "And you still haven't told me where we're going."
"Good Lord, girl, don't you understand the meaning of a surprise?" He goes to ruffle her hair, and recalls the many hours that have been put into taming it to lie flat and curl properly; instead, he stands, picks her up, tugs her collar down straight and heads for the door. "You'll see when we get there, you just have to be patient."
"I don't wanna be bloody patient, that's what you tell me when you haven't gotten me things yet."
With amazing effort, England manages not to flush with embarrassment - Australia has gotten everything he means to give her late in the past two years since her discovery - and rolls his eyes at the girl. "I mean it, young lady. You're going to have to wait." She huffs, scowls and refuses to look at him. He frowns. "And would it honestly kill you to speak like a proper lady?"
"Might do," she mutters, crossing her arms.
He raises an eyebrow at her, not sure whether he should be amused or irritated. "Well, either you speak properly or you don't speak at all."
She claps her hands over her mouth and glares at him.
He really can't help but laugh at her. "I hope you know," he chuckles, teasing, "that you look absolutely bloody ridiculous like that."
She sinks lower in his arms, curled in on herself, and refuses to move her hands from her face for the entire carriage trip, seething. Eventually, though, they pull up, and she lets her hands fall in favour of scrambling over England's lap to peer out the window, curious to see where he has taken her that is so very important to them - or just him, maybe.
England picks her up, opens the door and sets her on the ground before she has had much of a chance to gape at the impressive scenery through the window, and he quickly takes her by the hand to tug her along the cobblestone path that leads into the huge castle looming over them. Australia, too awed to pay attention to anything but her surroundings, trips and stumbles along behind him, her eyes glued to the high walls and turrets. England sighs irritably and drags her faster, tugging sharply at her arm.
"Come on, act proper now," he murmurs to her. To his relief, she straightens, hoists up her skirts and catches up with him, holding his hand tightly in hers and trying not to let herself be distracted again.
It turns out all to be in vain as soon as they enter the castle gates, and England practically has to tether Australia to his side; she's gasping and giggling and trying to pull free of his grip, to run off and look at all of the statues, the shields and weapons, the paintings, the tapestries - everything is unbelievably extravagant to her. The residents of the castle watch them pass with curious expressions, and England avoids their eyes, but he doesn't want to ruin the child's moment of fun.
"Hey, England," she whispers to him excitedly. "Did America come here too? Is that how important it is?"
To his credit, he doesn't even cringe; Australia's idolisation of America, just from what she's heard of him, is something he's becoming used to quickly. It's a little endearing, really. "Yes, he did. I brought him here shortly after we'd found him, for this."
Her hand curls around his a little tighter, and when he looks down at her, she has a strange, blank sort of frown on her face. "... For what?" she asks quietly.
He realises suddenly that his surprise is going downhill in her eyes; she's trying to join up what she has in common with the old colony of America, and the first thing she's pulling up is the presence of native people on the land. She's worried that it will mean something bad for them.
But he's determined not to ruin the surprise, so he forces himself to look away and tells her, "Something special."
She doesn't speak again, after that - not even when they reach the huge oak doors, or when the guards step forward to heave them open, but he's immensely relieved when he hears her gasp as they enter the room; it's just too exquisitely decorated for her not to be amazed, and he thinks she might finally be catching on to what the point of their trip is.
"Behave," he hisses to her, and she nods quickly. When they come to a halt, she lets go of his hand and leaves her own politely by her sides.
King George III looks down at them from upon his throne and nods. "What do you bring to me today, Lord Arthur?" He turns his gaze on the small girl, who looks absolutely shell-shocked by his booming voice, and she stares right back at him.
England drops to one knee, bowing his head respectfully. "Terra Australis, my King. The land claimed for the British penal colonisation - the land belonging to no-one." She looks to him then, shocked and hurt, but he shoots a sharp glare back at her and mouths, Bow.
She doesn't.
The King hums thoughtfully. "I see." He looks her over again, and she still seems to be in awe. "What is the matter, my child?"
"... Woo~ow," she finally says, and England almost loses his balance, sending her a frantic, scolding look - but she's still staring up at the King, eyes wide and jaw slack. "Who are you? Even England doesn't wear stuff that fancy!"
The man looks taken-aback, but he answers her, regardless. "I am King George III, child; the ruler of England."
"Like a tribe leader?" she shoots back quickly, excited, and then pauses. "But why would you be the leader of England? I don't have a leader." And ignoring the way England scowls and looks as if he's going to snap something at her, she continues, "That's disrespectful to the land!"
He's not sure where she's been learning such long words, or why he hasn't taught her politics yet, but he's suddenly regretting the combination of the two, because she's standing her and rounding on his King, and if she doesn't get thrown out soon, he decides, he's going to drag her out himself just to save himself some embarrassment.
To his shock, horror and overwhelming relief, the King laughs at her scolding. "A land must have a ruler, my child," he tells her. She frowns, confused, and England can see her mouthing to herself, It does? "And tell me, where do you come from?"
Suddenly, her expression is startled and nervous, and she looks to England for help, fidgeting and mumbling, "Er... My people... The Dreamtime, and we're not really - we don't - there's no--"
"Those we found there don't have a word for the land, my King," he interrupts, easing Australia's panic a little, "and she claims to have always been there, but the people discovered on the coast where we first landed have told us that they are from 'Eora'--"
"No!" she cuts in, turning to him, tone incredulous. "No! Not eora! We've never been to this place before!"
England is perplexed, but the King chuckles again before their argument can continue, and they both turn to him, surprised and a little embarrassed about their fighting in front of such an important figure - Australia may not know his politics, but she knows enough to recognise that the man before her is of higher status than the rest of the people here, and she's well-aware that what they just did would be considered extremely disrespectful by any leader.
"That is enough," he says to them. "I have seen the land claimed in my Kingdom's name, and it looks as if you two have a few things you would like to sort out." They both cringe, but England gets to his feet and takes Australia's hand again, tugging her down in a bow before they turn and leave; England walks as fast as he can without running, and Australia runs along behind him with her skirts gathered up in one hand.
As soon as they're outside, they pause for a moment, and she looks up at him, wide-eyed. "Cripes. We didn't get punished?"
Well, he has been a bit loopy lately, he thinks to himself, but out loud, he just ushers her along again hurriedly and mutters, "Well, that could have gone a whole lot worse."
He just hopes she never wants to meet his royalty again, because the chance that they'll all be that crazy is very slim indeed.
Notes:
- The name "Australia" wasn't coined for the country until 1810, but it was too annoying to type out every time, so it's just that nobody... calls her that.
- Random trivia! The captain of the First Fleet in 1788 was actually named Arthur Philip :'D
- George III did actually develop mental issues during his reign, especially towards the later end of his life. People were very confused by it at the time, but it was likely a blood disease.
- The word "Aboriginal" wasn't used to describe the natives until 1789.
- The Eora people were those living along the coast of Sydney, and therefore, likely would have been the tribe that the British first encountered. The word "Eora" literally means "here" or "from this place", which is how the tribe described to the British were they were from.